The downtown Harold Washington Library Center, as well as the Conrad Sulzer and Carter G. Woodson Regional Libraries, will be open on Sunday afternoons beginning in January, according to Mayor Richard Daley.
Daley said Thursday that the facilities would be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., effective Jan. 8.
The change is made possible with the help of a $600,000 grant from Illinois Secretary of State George Ryan, who was at the announcement at the Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St.
Another $250,000 in funding will come from the city, and $150,000 will be provided by the Chicago Public Library Foundation. Part of the latter will come from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.
Daley said the money will allow the system to hire 40 new clerks, pages and librarians.
The mayor noted that while he once opposed Sunday library hours in the belief that families should spend more time together and attend church services, he changed his mind when Ryan offered the $600,000 grant, which meant that the two regional branch libraries also could be opened.
The Sulzer library is located at 4455 N. Lincoln Ave. The Woodson library is at 9525 S. Halsted St.
